CogAT

This is a brief run down to answer some basic CogAT (Cognitive Abilities Test) testing questions.

What does each section of the CogAT test mean?

Verbal subtest: measures verbal aptitude, word knowledge and concepts, facility with language, verbal reasoning, and analogies. Students with high verbal scores can usually be expected to do well in reading and language activities.

Quantitative subtest: measures mathematical reasoning and problem solving, numerical sequences and patterns, manipulation of mathematical concepts. Students with high quantitative scores usually do well with complex mathematical or numerical activities and concepts.

Non-verbal subtest: measures reasoning and problem-solving with patterns and relationships, pictorial analogies, and categories. Students with high non-verbal scores can often be expected to do well with logic, models, creative thinking, constructions or building, technology, or other non-language based activities.

What do the scores mean?

Composite score: A total or overall score. A composite score is neither the sum nor the average of the subtest scores, but is computed separately.

Stanine (S): A ranked comparison of students using a nine-point scale. Stanines 1, 2, and 3 are below average; stanines 4, 5, and 6 are average, and stanines 7, 8, and 9 are above average. Stanines 1 and 9 indicate the bottom and top 4 percent; stanine 5 is the middle 20 percent.

Percentile rank (PR): A point (score) on a scale of 100 that indicates the percent of scores at or below that point. A student’s score at the 84th percentile is regarded as equaling or surpassing that of 84 percent of the students in the group being tested. It does not mean that the student got 84 percent of the answers correct, but rather that the student performed better than 84 out of 100 students being tested. Grand Forks Public Schools will be using the grade-based percentiles to maintain consistency with other tests given throughout the district.

Standard Age Score (SAS): The Standard Age Score scale is a normalized standard score scale for each battery and the Composite. This score will not be used in the GFPS.